The Heart Of a True Warrior
by Spottedeyes
Summary: Carol is a typical high school student. But when she falls into an abyss in the forest, she turns into a cat and joins ThunderClan to complete her true destiny and calling in life. But can Carol handle all the new changes?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue:**

Two cats stood beside a thundering river. "Where's Lionheart?" A blue-gray she-cat demanded. A flame-colored tom shook his head. "I don't know Bluestar." Bluestar got to her paws and paced back and forth, her tail twitching with nerves. "Fine, Firestar. Then I will confide only in you." Bluestar stared directly at Firestar before continuing. "Should we bring her into our world? Do you think she can handle such a big change?" Bluestar meowed, a worried look smeared across her face. Firestar nodded, his eyes full of sorrow. "Our time has been over for at least fifty moons. We can't help our clans anymore." Firestar's soft gaze turned colder. "Tomorrow. We will get her here tomorrow." Bluestar nodded in agreement. Another orange tom joined the two. Bluestar leaped to her paws, her eyes blazing with fury. "Lionheart! We needed your wisdom and you- Oh what ever. We're getting her tomorrow morning." Bluestar informed the muscular tom. Lionheart shook his head. "This isn't right." Lionheart concluded. Firestar rested his tail over Lionheart's shoulders. "I know. But in order to save the clans, it has to be done."

**I DO NOT OWN WARRIORS BY ERIN HUNTER!**

**The Heart Of a True Warrior chapter 1: Change can be good.**

Carol sighed and flopped down on her bed. "Already finished." Carol muttered to herself, setting the book, "Warriors: The Last Hope" down on her night side desk. "Carol! Time for school!" Her mother called from the kitchen. Carol moaned. She was a wallflower, quite a tall one too. Carol was the kid who was always picked last by her snobby high school Football captains, Carol was the kid that no one saved a seat for at the lunch table, Carol was the nobody in her High School. The only thing she really enjoyed was reading the "Warriors" series in her spare time. Carol slowly made her way downstairs to eat breakfast. Carol's mother was just going out the door when Carol made it downstairs. "Bye Carol see you after school! You're lunch is on the table." Her mother finished before going to work.

"Carol, did you finish "The Last Hope" yet? I'm dying to talk about it!" Carol's best friend, Brooklyn whispered to her. Carol nodded, and dared not to speak. Last time she got caught talking in Spanish class she got three weeks worth of lunch detention. Brooklyn gave a quiet squeal of excitement before pretending to pay attention in class again.

As soon as class ended, Brooklyn showered Carol with questions. Carol responded to some of them, then just tuned Brooklyn out all together. "Come on Brook, let's go get lunch." Carol interrupted. "Ok, so should we eat in the bathroom again, or sit by the trash cans?" Brooklyn eagerly replied. Carol sighed to herself. She was lucky to have a friend as optimistic and cheerful. "You can choose today." Carol answered. "Maybe the trash cans- OHMYGOSH! Hide!" Brooklyn shrieked, diving behind the trash can, careful not to spill her lunch tray. Carol looked at Brooklyn in confusion. Then she saw why: Summer, the leader of the 'pops' at our school was heading our way. Carol's eyes grew wide and joined Brooklyn, who had started to eat the cheap grilled cheese sandwich. "Come on Carol, eat while you can. If Summer finds us, then our lunch is going straight from our trays to our shirts!" Brooklyn said in between bites. "You're right." Carol quickly answered, stuffing her mouth with a gross lunch meat sandwich. "I can't believe I forgot my lunch at home." Carol complained, stuffing more cafeteria food down her throat. The trash can turned and light blinded Carol and Brooklyn. "Well well well, if it isn't the losers." Summer smirked, her hand reaching down to flip their lunch trays. But Carol and Brooklyn had already began to sprint down the halls of the school. Summer followed, but slowly, taking her time. The two girls pushed through the front doors of the school. Summer casually followed. "She's still following us!" Brooklyn yelled. Carol looked ahead, "the forest! We can hide in there!" Carol responded, nearly out of breath. Brooklyn nodded and sprinted after Carol into the forest. Summer stopped in her tracks and turned back. Carol and Brooklyn exchanged relieved glances. "Ha! I knew Summer wouldn't want to get her stupid heels dirty!" Carol mocked. "Or tear holes in her ugly skirt!" Brooklyn laughed, the both of them still running. "We totally fooled-" Carol lost her footing and fell into a seemingly endless abyss, Brooklyn stopped in the nick of time. "CAROL!"

Carol's vision began to return, everything looked slurred. Carol sat up and looked around. "Brook? Brook? Come on Brook this isn't funny!" Carol yelled. "Wait! Is that a cat, no that's not possible, a cat wouldn't meow when I talked." Carol lifted what used to be her hand and came face to face with a white paw. Carol's eyes grew wide. She turned around and saw that she had a tail, tortishell and white to be exact. She looked at her chest, it was white and furry. Carol began to tremble in fear and confusion. Brooklyn and her school had vanished, even the forest seemed different. Carol stood up on her four legs, and walked around the forest.

Lake water lapped at Carol's paws. She looked beyond the lake to see a pine forest on the opposite side of the lake, and a moorland to her left. It finally clicked. She was in "Warriors."

Carol didn't know whether to be frightened by this or delighted. "So that must mean if I walk back to where I started, then I just have to keep going forward and then I'll reach ThunderClan camp!" Carol yowled. She stopped in her tracks. "Wait... I don't... belong to ThunderClan though."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Enter ThunderClan**

Carol shivered as the night grew cold and the crescent moon arose from its slumber. "Maybe this is just a cruel nightmare. I'll wake up and still be reading "The last hope", Brook will call me crazy, and we'll just eat by the trash cans at lunch and things will go back to normal." Carol tried to calm herself, but she was frantic. "Where's the ThunderClan camp?! I-I swear the-" Carol stopped moving. Four growling foxes stalked out, a mother and her three cubs. Carol flattened her ears and backed up. "O-ok now's the time to remember how Lionblaze would fight." Carol coached herself. The smallest cub, seemed almost desperate to prove itself and lunged at Carol. Without thinking Carol leapt to the cub's side, and used her claws for the first time and raked the cub's flank. The fox screamed in protest before fleeing back to its mother. Carol looked thoughtfully at her claws, unsheathing them, then sheathing them again. "Huh, I could get used to this." Carol meowed, her eyes narrowing in a newfound confidence. The largest cub snarled and began to approach Carol. "Um um what can I use what can I use other then my claws?" Carol bit her lip then yelped in surprise. "Oh I do NOT want to put my mouth on your fur, but I guess I'm going to have to." Carol braced herself for the fox's impact, greeting the fox with her new sharp teeth. The fox wailed in pain, blood welling up around the bite wound. "Blah! Gross!" Carol complained, trying to forget the horrible taste of fox. The second largest cub looked at Carol and narrowed its eyes before growling and walking away. The mother fox on the other hand, well PAW didn't give up so easily. She lunged at Carol. Carol returned the favor with a flurry of claws and fangs. She had never felt so alive. Carol swiped at the she-fox's muzzle until several scrapes ripped through her muzzle. The she-fox screamed in pain and led her cubs away. Carol stood breathing heavily. "H-how was I able to fight like that? I haven't had one training session." Carol took a deep breath. "Yep, this is a dream." The ferns rustled behind Carol. Carol whipped around, bracing herself for another fight. A black and white tom with green eyes strolled out of the bushes. "There you are!" The cat meowed in relief. "Brightdawn, I've been worried sick." The tom brushed his muzzle on Carol's. "You have?" Carol meowed in confusion. The tom's gaze grew serious. "Of course, and now I come and you're fighting off a whole clan of foxes! Come on, Hailstar's making Rabbitpaw and Poppypaw warriors." The tom raced off into the forest. Brightdawn? Carol's eyes widened in astonishment. These cats think I'm part of their clan, but who was that guy? Carol would've pondered more, but she didn't want to get lost.

The camp was just like the books described it: the camp was in a stone cut out, likely made by a failed quarry. The black and white tom waved his tail at me in the crowd of cats. Carol trotted over to him. "Saved you a seat." He meowed, turning his attention back to the high rock. Carol's fur prickled with excitement. She never imagined that she'd get to witness a real warrior ceremony. A slush-colored she-cat stood at the top of the rock with two young looking cats at her side, one was a pretty ginger she-cat and the other one was a slick gray tom, both of their eyes gleamed with happiness. Then I noticed that I must have come at the end of the ceremony, for Hailstar was already announcing the new names, "Poppypaw, from this moment until you join StarClan you will be known as Poppytail, we honor you for your patience and kindness. Poppytail held her head high. Hailstar turned her attention to the gray tom. "Rabbitpaw, from this moment until you join StarClan, you will be known as Rabbitfoot, we honor you for your speed and confidence." The clan yowled the new warriors names, so Carol joined in. She knew that she couldn't act so confused, or else ThunderClan might cast her out with nowhere to go.

That night in the warriors den, Carol and another ginger she-cat helped Rabbitfoot and Poppytail set up nests. The ginger she-cat sighed. "I'm so proud of my kits, it seems like only yesterday they were as big as rabbits, now look at them. " The she cat meowed, eyes shining. "Well you're going to get to enjoy kits of your own soon anyway." The she-cat continued. Carol cocked her head in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?" Carol asked. The she-cat laughed. "You don't see it?" She asked. Carol shook her head. "Thunderstorm is very fond of you, you know." The she-cat meowed. Thunderstorm? Carol gasped. The black and white tom must be Thunderstorm. Urg, I wish I knew these cat's names. This must be way after the battle with the dark forest, otherwise the leader would be Bramblestar, the deputy Squirrelflight, and the medicine cat Jayfeather. "Um I didn't really notice until you pointed it out." Carol responded. Man I wish Brook was here. Carol thought miserably to herself.

It was a beautiful place. A perfect untouched forest lay in front of Carol. Mice scurried across the forest floor. Carol didn't care if she wasn't a person anymore, in fact, she liked being a cat. She only had to go on patrols and hunt. While as a person, she had to wake up every morning, catch the bus, avoid bullies, study for tests, and keep a part time job at the grocery store. Her life would be perfect if Brook had turned into a cat with her. A fire-pelted tom trotted up to Carol. Carol looked at him in astonishment. "F-firestar?" Carol meowed in disbelief. Firestar nodded. "I have come to make this transformation easier for you. I will tell you every cat's name, Brightdawn." Carol smiled. "Thanks Firestar, but why am I here? Is Brook ok? Or is she here too?" Carol meowed anxiously. "Why you're here is complicated, but will come to you soon enough, and yes your friend is fine. And no, she's not here. But I can see that managing without a friend is difficult, so I will bring her to ThunderClan tomorrow." Firestar promised. "Now here." Firestar pressed his paw on Carol's forehead and transferred all the memory that she would've obtained if she was born a cat. "Firestar, before I go, what will Brook's name be when she gets here, where will she arrive, and what will she look like?" Carol asked. "Brook's name will be Duskpool, she will arrive by the lake shore, and she will be a long furred yellow tabby." Firestar finished. "Farewell, Brightdawn." Firestar vanished.


End file.
